Plant defense against herbivory or host-plant resistance is a range of adaptations evolved by plants which improve their survival and reproduction by reducing the impact of herbivores. Many plants pro
Foxgloves produce toxic chemicals such as digoxin in order to deter herbivory.
Viburnum lesquereuxii leaf with insect damage; Dakota Sandstone (Cretaceous) of Ellsworth County, Kansas. Scale bar is 10 mm.
A plain tiger Danaus chrysippus caterpillar making a moat to block defensive chemicals of Calotropis before feeding
Persimmon, genus Diospyros, has a high tannin content which gives immature fruit, seen above, an astringent and bitter flavor.
Secondary metabolite
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Secondary metabolites, also called specialised metabolites, secondary products, or natural products, are organic compounds produced by any lifeform, e.g. bacteria, archaea, fungi, animals, or plants,
Extraction of taxol from barks of Pacific Yew.
Opium field in Afghanistan, the largest grower of opium.
Plant tissue culture Oncidium leucochilum.